Sleeping Forest
by ImmortalDatenshi
Summary: We walk both sides. I am Light, and I am Darkness. In us, they are joined, forming the shadows which erase all memories of warmth, leaving behind the chill of death. DantexOC and NeroxOC - different OC
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Before beginning the story, there are some things you should know. This story is being done by two people and two POV's. The first two chapters, the Prologue and Chapter 1 were done by me in Datenshi's POV. Before every chapter begins, I'll put down whose POV it is just to make sure no one gets confused. As I said before, this fanfic is being done by two people, which is me, ImmortalDatenshi (Lovely) and SesshomaruLover23 (Jamie). I will be doing the odd chapters in Datenshi's POV while she does the even chapters in Kiyoia's POV.

Also, another thing before beginning the story is that you should go to this site that Jamie made just for this fic to know about the OC characters and what they look like. On this site, you can also submit fanart and comments, which would be very much appreciated:

http :// .com/?cr1 (Make sure to take away the spaces when you put it into your web bar)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DMC4 or its characters. The only characters I own are Datenshi and Seika while Kiyoia and Yukio, along with any other OC characters, belong to SesshomaruLover23 (also known as Jamie) who I am doing this fanfic with. Also, the name Sleeping Forest, along with the little motto that comes along with it, came from the anime/manga: _Air Gear_.

Datenshi's POV

Prologue

"In the past, during the time of the gods, humans, beasts, fish, and plants all lived in the same place...but the fish ate up the grass, and the birds ate up the fish, and the beasts ate up the birds," I started.

"The gods who were unable to ignore this said: 'The beasts shall scatter onto the fields, the fish to the sea, and the birds take to the sky,'" my twin sister, Kiyoia, continued. "The humans then, seeing as they were no real threat to anything else, were left on land to do as they pleased."

"Mayan legend, right?" Yukio, her cat demon companion specified.

"Yeah, it is," Seika, my wolf demon companion answered, "but why tell us this Datenshi?"

"Yes, you're both correct, but what most don't know is that in this legend, demons and devils were included as a category along with the beasts, plants, humans, and fish," me, Datenshi, replied.

"Yup, so as the birds took to the sky, the demons, which held the most threat, were left with nothing but the underworld, or Hell, as most call it," Kiyoia finished for me once again. Eh, I guess it was just a twin thing.

"The demons were infuriated with this, being caged beneath everything. So as revenge to the gods, they rose to the surface, swearing that if they should suffer, then why couldn't the rest? It was then where the intense need for taking over the world was born within them," I went on.

"But Sparda, the Dark Knight, and your father both took care of that problem didn't they?" Seika asked.

"Well, yes, they did," I responded, a smirk soon forming on my face, "but every now and then some demons just somehow slip through."

"And _that's_ where we come in," Kiyoia said, mirroring my smirk. "As of right now, Datenshi and I will be forming the first ever demon hunting business, Sleeping Forest!"

"Where whoever wanders into our forest falls into an eternal slumber!" we both finished. "So," we continued, leaning closer to them, "are you in…or out?"

Yukio and Seika both looked at each other before looking back at us and grinning, "We're in."

And that's all it took, really. After being orphaned at 10 years of age, Kiyoia and I didn't have very much except for the small fortune our parents left for us. We both knew that this fortune couldn't possibly last us our whole lives, so finally, at the age 13, we decided to open a demon hunting business with our wolf and cat demon partners.

Together, we made a living hunting demons left and right, and reaping in the money that came with it. At first it was very hard, and we always had our more capable demon partners rushing in to save us, but now, at the age of 18, we had finally learned from our mistakes. So much so that nowadays Kiyoia and I are the ones calling the shots.

Lately, though, it seemed as if our prey had been thinning out. The were less and less sightings of demons, which meant a lot less business coming in. To be more specific, we haven't had a customer in weeks and on the many nights where we patrolled the city, we would find not one trace of demons anywhere. This is why we are going to relocate to a new city. So watch out demons, because Sleeping Forest is coming to town.

_Be devil and devil be damned, we fear no devil and bow to no man._


	2. A First Glimpse

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DMC4 or its characters. The only characters I own are Datenshi and Seika while Kiyoia and Yukio, along with any other OC characters, belong to SesshomaruLover23 (also known as Jamie) who I am doing this fanfic with. Also, the name Sleeping Forest, along with the little motto that comes along with it, came from the anime/manga: _Air Gear_.

* * *

Datenshi's POV

1. A First Glimpse

The weeks passed by pretty quickly after the four of us moved into our new humble abode in Fortuna. In fact, on the first night we came, we had split up and took down as many demons as possible. I'm pretty sure that if you counted all of our killings together, it would've come close to about 100. That night was our calling card, to show that demons had better beware. The next day, the phone was ringing nonstop for our services in demon exterminating.

"So, where do we go today, Datenshi?" Kiyoia asked. We were on our daily patrol around the city once more, this time going in pairs as Yukio and Seika had run off in the other direction from which we were walking.

The city of Fortuna was definitely an odd one, but very beautiful with its gothic European style architecture. Not only that, but it was on a remote island near the coast.

"Honestly? No clue," I sighed, I always did hate patrolling, and usually there was absolutely nothing to do but walk around aimlessly like an airhead. "I guess we could just go wherever we feel the demonic aura is strongest."

"That, or we could just skip this whole thing and _actually_ go somewhere fun. I mean, come on, Tenshi, it's April 9 today! You know? Our 19th birthday?"

"Yeah, I guess you're-Hey, wait! Do you hear that?" I shouted as a beautiful sound filled the air. It sounded like someone was...singing?

"Yeah, it's coming over there from that cathedral," Kiyoia said as she pointed at the big church that lay just a few blocks ahead of us.

Hm, no wonder there weren't any humans strolling around outside. But it's strange, I thought that at least there would be one or two walking around, but there was virtually no one outside. But the bizarre fact about this whole place was that for the long while we've been here, we haven't met or seen that many people. I mean, we've met and made a couple of good friends, but in a big city like this, there should be crowds upon crowds of Fortuna's inhabitants.

"Yeah, you're right, and can you feel that, too? There's quite a few demons mixed in with them," I said as we both tore down the street towards the cathedral.

Inside, the cathedral was pretty big, that's for sure, and behind the woman singing was this huge statue. I couldn't recognize it at first, but I finally understood when I saw another statue standing next to it. It was our father in his more demon form, and what I could only guess as the great Sparda next to him.

"Well, this is interesting," Kiyoia whispered to me as we hid behind a big pillar in the very back. From where we were, we could see every angle of the church, and the demons that hid among the mortals. "I knew dad and Sparda over there gave their lives to help mankind and became something like heroes, but I didn't really expect the humans to make them into some kind of deities."

"Yeah, and what's even more weird is that all of them are wearing these stupid robes. What are they, some kind of an occult or something?" I whispered back, next to me, I could hear her slightly giggling as the woman's song ended and the people clapped. One thing's for sure, that woman had a really nice set of lungs on her. I mean, I knew I was pretty good in singing, but I don't think I could ever get as good as her.

"Ugh! Make it stop!" Kiyoia whined as this old guy, who I could only identify as the pope or head priest or something, started preaching about Sparda and our dad.

"Well, I don't like this as much as you do. Ah! I wish I had my music right now. _Anything_ to drown out his voice before he puts me to sleep," I complained along with her. What? I could never really stay awake during stupid preaches and lectures where they repeat something I already damn well know. As for Kiyoia, well, she just really hated them in general.

Suddenly, my eyes widened as I sensed something with great power heading towards the building quickly.

"Something's coming," I didn't know it then, but both Kiyoia and I had said that at the same time as a big crash sounded above us.

Stained glass shards came falling down like snow, along with it, a man in red. Still too in shock at his 'grand entrance', before either of us knew it, he had pulled a gun and shot the priest. Screams were then heard from all around, overloading my eardrums as people scattered.

Across the room I could hear someone shout, "Your Holiness!" before swords were drawn and a one-sided fight took place. The one in red winning as swords clashed and flesh was torn. I'll commend this guy for taking out most of the demons though. It seemed as if he knew what he was doing.

It wasn't long before this other man in blue and red with a sling holding onto his right arm took to the fight, his first move by giving the one in red a face full of boots. Drawing what looked like a silver revolver, the one in mostly blue fought against the one in red and soon stood at a standstill on top Sparda's arms.

They both fought long and hard, pulling out awesome tricks, but what really got me interested was the man in blue, especially when his demonic arm was revealed from the sling. The pews all flew back at the force it admitted, but from what I saw is that he wasn't quite using it to its full potential. That, or he just didn't know how to.

No matter what happened though, the one in red was definitely the better fighter. His moves were fluid, nor did he get as worked up as the one in blue.

"Can you see that, Sis?" Kiyoia asked when the man in red was being punched more than several times in the head on the ground.

"Yeah, Devil Trigger," I whispered back as I saw his left arm flicker back and forth between human and demon.

"These two half-demons, they're strong." Kiyoia didn't say anything else after that, didn't really have to anyways, we both knew that these two might be trouble if they were to ever get in our way of anything, or us in their way.

"It's not over..." I whispered as the one in red was impaled with his own sword to Sparda's statue.

"Not by a long shot," Kiyoia finished as the one in blue turned around and started walking...and we were right.

"Getting better," the skewered half-demon said, "I would even go as far to say that I underestimated your..." he lifted himself off the statue while also sliding off his sword, "abilities."

"You aren't human, are you?" the other replied.

"We're the same…you and…I," he said as he pulled out his sword and nodded his head to one of the fallen demons, "and them."

The one in blue looked down to the slain demon guard on the floor, bright yellow eyes and a blackened malnourished face looked back at him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he turned back to the one in red, only to find him not there.

"You will come to learn the meaning soon enough. But…business beckons," he said as he was revealed to be standing on the where he made his 'grand entrance', just outside the broken stained glass window.

"Hey!" the younger man shouted as he shot at the opening.

But with an, "Adios, kid," and a simple two-fingered salute, he was gone, his presence soon disappearing along with him.

Soon after, guards filed into the cathedral and Kiyoia and I nodded to each other, soon leaving this place as well. There was no need to linger any longer, the fight was over, entertainment gone, and the demons all eradicated thanks to the man in red.


	3. An Unexpected Encounter

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DMC4 or its characters. The only characters I own are Datenshi and Seika while Kiyoia and Yukio, along with any other OC characters, belong to SesshomaruLover23 (also known as Jamie) who I am doing this fanfic with. Also, the name Sleeping Forest, along with the little motto that comes along with it, came from the anime/manga: _Air Gear_.

* * *

Kiyoia's POV

2. An Unexpected Encounter

We met up with Seika and Yukio outside our office. We all entered and Seika asked what we were so excited about.

"You wouldn't believe what we saw!" Datenshi began.

"There were these two really hot guys-" I began to explain them, but Datenshi stopped me.

"Wait a sec, Kiyoia. First, we were walking and heard beautiful singing. We followed it to this cathedral and listened in, hiding the best we could. Then, we noticed these statues of Sparda and our father, and then this priest guy started to preach about our father. We noticed lots of demons in the crowd of people and-" It was my turn to interrupt her.

"This guy in red pops out of nowhere and shoots the guy! He starts killing all the demons and then this guy from the crowd goes up and fights him, and you could tell they weren't human! Eventually, the guy from the crowd threw the guy in red against the Sparda statue and threw his own sword at him so he was pinned against Sparda. As the guy walked away, the guy in red suddenly spoke and then they started talking and oh my God, it was just so awesome!" I said excitedly. Tenshi gave me a smile, but it was also a 'you're so weird, sister' look. I laughed at her.

"Anyway," Yukio said, "Shouldn't you guys be getting ready? It's late afternoon already and you girls with your hours to just put on one thing…" he said. I laughed again and nodded. As Datenshi and I stood, I walked to Yukio and kissed the tip of his nose and rubbed his kitty ears. He looked at me in surprise, but I laughed at him and Seika laughed as well. She followed us and soon Yukio also went upstairs to get ready.

I was trying on outfits, wondering what to wear. I finally decided on a long black shirt that went down to my thighs with Capri pants and chains hanging from the sides. I was deciding on jewelry when suddenly, the doorbell rang. I shouted downstairs to Yukio.

"Could you get that, Yu-yu?" I asked. I heard him groan and walk to the door. I stifled a laugh and continued dressing. When I was done, I walked to Datenshi's room.

"Hey, I'm dressing here!" she exclaimed. I giggled and covered my eyes while she finished dressing. Once we were done, we walked downstairs. Datenshi walked to the kitchen to call the club we were going to, so she could inform them that we were on our way. I went straight to the living room to find Kimiko in Hiroshi's lap, Kuni playing with her hair, Yukio reading a magazine, and Seika watching TV. Kimiko turned to me as I entered. She hopped up and ran to me and hugged me tightly.

"Hi, birthday-girl! Where's Tenshi?" she asked, looking around.

"She's calling the club," I smiled as Yukio looked up with excited eyes. He loves clubs. Just then, Datenshi walked in.

"Everything's set!" she said with a smile. I smiled back.

"Well, we'd better get going," I said, and we all got out jackets and walked out the door, locking it behind us.

We entered the club and were stopped by a bouncer holding a clipboard with a list. I smiled.

"The Datenshi-Kiyoia party?" I asked. He searched the list and nodded.

We all walked in and Kimiko dragged Hiroshi off to dance. I walked with Yukio to our reserved table while Tenshi and Sei walked off to look around, and Kuni went to go talk to a cute guy. Yukio and I sat and sighed. Yukio smiled. We ordered drinks and waited for everyone. They got back, and we ordered pizza and ice cream. We quickly gulfed down the pizza and ordered another. When we were done with that, I ordered a strawberry sundae. I loved those. Then, once we were done, I wandered off to get another drink. I found the bar easily and ordered a soda. Suddenly, I heard a voice next to me.

"So, enjoy the fight from earlier?" they asked. My heart skipped a beat and I slowly turned to see the guy in red from earlier! He smirked at me.

"But, I thought no one knew we were there…" I said confusedly. He laughed.

"I knew you were there the whole time," He replied. I blushed as he smirked again. He was so cute! He had beautiful blue eyes that shone brightly as he stared at me. It felt as if I couldn't breathe! Just then, the bartender came back with my soda.

"Here you are, Miss," they said, setting the drink down on the counter in front of me. The whole time, I didn't take my eyes off of the beautiful man in red next to me as I took a sip. The bartender turned to him and asked what he wanted.

"Have any strawberry sundaes?" he asked. The bartender laughed and nodded and went to get it. I smiled to myself, realizing this handsome man liked the same ice cream I did! Just then, I heard someone call me. I turned to see Datenshi walking up.

"Kiyoia, what's the hold up? We've been waiting for… for…" she followed my gaze to the handsome man. She smiled, leaned forward and whispered to me. "Take all the time you need, Kiyoia-chan!" she said excitedly and walked back to our friends. I smiled as I thought of how she'd make me tell her everything that happened later. Just then, the man broke through my thoughts and spoke.

"So," he said. "That your sister?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're twins," I explained. He smiled.

"And what did she say your name was? Kiyoia? That's a pretty name," He said. I blushed.

"Yeah… Now that you know mine, what's yours?" I asked. He smiled again.

"Dante. Nice to meet you, Kiyoia," he said, extending his hand. I just about melted at the way he said my name, but I shook his hand with a smile. I watched him finish his sundae while I continued drinking my soda. Soon, we were done and a slow song came on. Dante smirked. "Want to dance?" he asked. I blushed again.

"Uh, that's ok. I have to get back to my friends anyway. It's my birthday, you know," I said, still blushing. Dante picked up my hand and kissed the back of it. I blushed furiously.

"I insist. Consider it a birthday present from me," he replied. I nodded. We both stood and he led me to the dance floor. We started out half or a foot apart, one of his hands on my back, one of mine on his shoulder, but soon, we were drawn closer and I was eventually lying on him. He smiled into my hair and I smiled into his shirt. But the song soon ended and Dante said he had to go.

"Awe…" I said, pouting slightly. Dante laughed.

"Sorry. But if you want to talk again…" I felt him slip something into my hand, then he leaned forward so his mouth was right next to my ear. He whispered, "Call me." He smiled and kissed my cheek. I blushed furiously again and opened my hand. In it was a piece of paper with a phone number, labeled 'Dante's cell #'. I looked up to see him walking away. He turned when he got to the door and gave me a two-fingered salute and a huge smile, showing his beautiful white teeth. I giggled and he left. I slowly and happily walked back to my friends and sister.

When we finally got home, Yukio decided to turn in early. Kimiko, Hiroshi and Kuni all went home to their houses, and Tenshi, Sei and I all stayed in my room, wide awake. I bit into a slice of pizza, for we had bought a box for when we came home. Seika ate a piece of cake that she and Yukio had made for Datenshi and I. Tenshi fired questions about earlier at me.

"So, what's his name?" she asked.

"Dante…" I said, starting to daydream about him.

"What happened before I came up?" Tenshi asked.

"Well, he asked if I liked the fight from earlier. I asked him how he knew, and he said he knew we were there the whole time," I explained. "Then, he ordered a strawberry sundae! Can you believe it? He likes the same ice cream as I do!"

"Then what happened after I left?" Tenshi continued.

"Well, after we found out each others' names, a slow song came on and he asked me to dance. He said it'd be his present to me, because I told him it was our birthday. We danced, and when the song was over, he said he had to go, and I was disappointed. But he slipped a piece of paper into my hand and told me to call him if I wanted to see him or talk to him again," I sighed happily and smiled. Dante was the only thing on my mind. Datenshi smiled evilly.

"Awe, little Sis is in love!" she said.

"Shut up! I know you liked the other one! You couldn't take your eyes off of him!" I retaliated with a smile. Datenshi sighed happily as she thought of that one. Then she frowned and looked at me.

"That's not fair… You got to meet the guy you liked, and I still don't know what the other one's name is!" she pouted. I laughed.

"Maybe I can ask Dante who the other guy was…" I said dreamily.

"Anyway," Datenshi said, smiling again, "we should go to bed. We have to patrol in the morning." She said. I groaned. But she smiled. "Maybe we'll find your guy again, Kiyoia." She said, elbowing me in the side lightly. I laughed.

"Maybe…" I said. We all got ready for bed. I put away the pizza and cake while the others got dressed for bed and brushed their teeth. When they were done, it was my turn. They all walked to their rooms and fell asleep soon after. I lay awake, staring at my ceiling, thinking about Dante. "Is this really what love feels like?" I whispered to myself. "Dante…" I said. "Dante and Kiyoia. That sounds perfect!" I said. Soon, I shook my head. "Why am I in love with him? I barely know anything about him…" I said to myself. But then, I told myself, "Who cares… It's love at first sight, I know it!" I smiled. Soon, my eyes drooped and I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Dante.

(In the dream.)

I was walking along a dark alley, holding onto my sword tightly. I searched the darkness for any demons that might be lurking around. Suddenly, one jumped toward me. I was so taken by surprise, all I could do was scream. I waited for a blow, but felt nothing. I slowly opened my eyes to see Dante standing there, holding the demon's severed head. I smiled and he threw it down and walked to me. He inhaled my scent and whispered to me.

"My beautiful…" he said. I blushed slightly. He brought up a hand up to touch my cheek and soon gently took hold of my chin. He leaned down and kissed me sweetly. I was surprised at first, but soon responded and wrapped my arms gently around his shoulder, while his went around my waist. Soon, everything went from innocent, to passionate, to just plain hot. Just when he had pushed me against a wall and was running his hands along my hips, I woke up.

"Damn it!" I said, waking up. I sat up in bed and stared into space, cursing how I had woken up at the good part. Soon, I fell backward onto my pillow and fell asleep again, this time dreaming about my past when I'd play with Yukio, Datenshi, Seika and my mother…


	4. Not A Morning Person

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DMC4 or its characters. The only characters I own are Datenshi and Seika while Kiyoia and Yukio, along with any other OC characters, belong to SesshomaruLover23 (also known as Jamie) who I am doing this fanfic with. Also, the name Sleeping Forest, along with the little motto that comes along with it, came from the anime/manga: _Air Gear_.

* * *

Datenshi's POV

3. Not A Morning Person

I could hear a few people passing by outside. The wind was softly blowing, creating a gentle breeze that carried many sweet scents throughout my room. My bed was so fluffy, feathery, that it made me feel like I was sleeping on air, or maybe even on a bed of clouds. The sunlight streaming through the curtained windows is so brilliant. Each ray is so bright...so warm. And Sparda, how I hated it all.

"Fuck," I whispered into my pillows, burying my face into them as I tried to escape its fowl clutches.

In my mind, I cursed any and every being that had ever thought of giving the universe the 'sun'. But it was no use really, once I wake up, it was almost impossible for me to go back to sleep, just another reason to hate the accursed sun. And what made my day even _more_ cheery was that Kiyoia and I had to go patrolling again today while Yukio and Seika slept in, lucky bastards.

Yes, I'm not a morning person. So shut up or you might just find yourself in a ditch somewhere with the other people who pissed me off in the morning.

"Morning," Kiyoia mumbled as we went into the kitchen to eat breakfast after we were both done with our morning routines. Kiyoia practically hated mornings as well, although she was a bit more gracious than I was.

"Hn," I simply replied.

"So, where to?" Kiyoia asked as we jumped onto the roof of a building, from up here we had a pretty good look of Fortuna.

"Same as yesterday, I guess," I fully answered this time as we then started moving from roof to roof across the city where there was this burst of demonic aura northwest of us. It had been at least an hour and a half since I woke up, so I guess that gave my bad mood enough time to lift somewhat.

With our enhanced abilities as half-demons we quickly made it to where the demons stood. Looking down at them, we found that they were just more of those demons disguised as humans from yesterday. The ones that wore cloaks and acted as if they were something like knights or peacekeepers. Made me sick to think of how they deceived these people.

"Hey, isn't that..." Kiyoia trailed off as she pointed over to somewhere in the middle of the patrolling demons.

"Yeah, it is," I responded as I also spotted the other half-demon from yesterday, the one with the demonic right arm. I looked around him as he patrolled along with his, err, comrades. Jeez, you'd think that a good fighter like him would actually be able to tell something from a demon and a human.

"Well, have fun with your boyfriend, Sis!" Kiyoia shouted as she turned around and started running off. My eyes widened as I looked back at her.

"What the? Hey! Get back here!" I yelled back at her, but it was no use, she was long gone. Oh, I just _knew_ she'd get me back for teasing her last night when we got home from the club.

"Oh _sure_, Kiyoia. I just _know_ that killing the guy's comrades will make us _fast_ friends," I growled out, "and _just_ because he's attractive, doesn't mean I freakin' _love_ the guy!"

I sighed and turned around to the still patrolling demons in disguise, my right hand taking hold of my sword that lay upon my back and bringing it out in front of me. When I said that my bad mood had lifted somewhat, well, you can forget it.

"Well, at least now I have something to take my anger out on!" I shouted as I leapt down from the roof. Adrenaline flowed through my veins as I quickly slashed the closest one across the back and then turned around to take out another. Two down.

There were at least nine of them if you didn't include the guy with the demonic right arm, and he was a little too far away right now to help. Still, as swiftly as I could, I ran among the demons, slashing here and there. I had to make this quick before he could get anywhere near to try and stop me. Six were now gone and only three more were left as two of the remaining three came at me from opposite sides. I smirked as they ran and jumped up high when they got close enough, the both of them impaling each other with their own swords. Heh, a classic move.

Looking down to the very last, I abruptly changed my trajectory to fall to right on top of him, the force of my fall helping me to pin him to the ground. I was just about to skewer the demon before I abruptly stopped my sword, the tip just an inch away from his chest.

"Human," I whispered, then narrowed my eyes down at him and got up off him. This one was a human being, so I had to let him go.

As soon as I lifted myself off him though, a blade suddenly made it's way to my throat. The human ran for his life while the blade came ever closer to my skin. The pressure of the blade was not hard enough to draw blood, but it was still there nonetheless. Looking down onto the blade, I then followed it's way up to the owner of said sword, finding it to be the one and only half-demon to which who's name I still did not know.

"Who are you?" he first interrogated, his eyes almost narrowing into slits as he glared down at me. I smirked.

"I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours," I told him. What? I was curious, damn it!

"I don't think your in much of a position to be the one asking things right now," he replied, his eyes glaring into me even more as he added a little more pressure onto his sword.

On my neck, I could feel something wet and sticky trickle down. Blood. Still, I kept my composure. Adrenaline was stilling pumping through my veins, my actions still bold.

"Suit yourself," I said as I gave my shoulders a small shrug. "Guess this just means you won't be getting any answers out of me. Oh, and you can thank me for taking out those demons of yours."

"Demons?" I heard him whisper as his eyes shifted, looking from me to the demons that now lay dead on the street. This did not last long however, as he went right back to staring at me for a few minutes before sighing and reluctantly taking his sword away. "Nero," came his only reply.

"Nero," I whispered, trying the name out on my tongue, "nice name. My name's Datenshi," I told him as my hand found it's way to my throat, wiping the blood away, the cut now gone. I saw Nero's eyes narrow once again at this.

"You're not human, are you? Just like that Dante guy," he asked.

"Yes and no," was my response, a small smile gracing my lips as I saw his scowl deepen. So I liked to mess with people's minds, so what? I'm manipulative and sadistic. Do I care? Hell no.

"Look, I told you my name, so you've gotta hold your end of the bargain and tell me what I want to know," he growled out.

I just grinned, "Sorry, but I believe what I said was, 'I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours.' You told me your name, so I told you mine. I now owe you nothing."

"Why you-" he shouted out as he swung his sword. Hehe, oops, looks like I made him a _little_ mad. Okay, so he was _pissed_, but can you really blame me? Wait, nevermind, don't answer that.

Quickly reacting, I back-flipped a few yards to escape being decapitated and held my sword at the ready, preparing for his next assault. More adrenaline coursed throughout my veins, and I felt like I was invincible. Yes, this is what I lived for, the adrenaline rush, the blood, and the pleasure of knowing that my enemies were swiftly dealt with. Fighting was one of the few things that I was strongly confident in, something I could do without any doubt or hesitation, and after all the training that Kiyoia and I had gone through since birth, we were both excellent warriors.

Nero held his sword at the ready as well, the both of us at a standstill as we waited for the other to make the first move.

"Well? Ladies first," I taunted with a well-placed smirk. He smirked as well.

"Well, since there are no ladies around here, I'll guess I'll just have to go instead!" he shouted as he ran at me, his sword shining menacingly in the morning sun.

I narrowed my eyes at the remark as my smirk disappeared and ran to meet his charge. Swords clashed and small sparks flew as we jumped high into the air and landed on the other side. We didn't move except to turn and examine whatever damage we had made to our opponent.

Suddenly, my eyes widened as a long gash appeared on my left thigh. I glowered as blood started to flow from it. The cut wasn't too deep, so it wouldn't take long to heal. Still it irritated me. This guy was strong, that was for sure. Nero was able to do what most demons couldn't even come close to achieving, and that was to actually wound me. Watching him fight with Dante is definitely _not_ the same as facing against him yourself.

I glared as my blood trailed far beyond my knee to my brown leather boots. And if Nero is already this strong, just think of how strong Dante could be, when he was obviously the better fighter of the two males. I was going to have to be a bit more careful.

Looking back up to smirking Nero, I then smirked as a deep cut appeared on his stomach. Nero wasn't smirking anymore as he clutched at it for a few seconds. Gazing back up, his glare intensified and he came rushing at me once again. I was just about to parry his attack when all of a sudden, I found myself pinned to a wall.

I gasped, having the air knocked out of me at the force of the blow. I struggled, but found that it was no use. In my mind I kept screaming, _'Think Datenshi! Think! You have to get yourself out of this!'_

Looking down, I found that it was some kind of blue transparent hand holding onto me tightly, forcing my lungs to receive no more of that precious, life-giving oxygen. Following its arm up to its owner, I found Nero's electric blue eyes glaring straight into my own. Damn, this guy's got some serious anger management issues. God, what the Hell am I doing!? I shouldn't be joking at a time like this!

Looking around frantically, I tried to find something, _anything_, that could possibly help me, but the sudden surprise at being slammed into the side of a building had left me to let go of my sword, and I found nothing. My lungs were taking in no more air and I began to panic as spots began blinding my vision and the darkness ensued.

Still, I tried to think of anything that could somehow get me out of this situation, but the lack of oxygen had made me lightheaded, and my thought process was deteriorating slowly but surely. The most intelligent thing I could think of right now? _'Shit.'_ And indeed it was, I was_ so_ screwed.

It wasn't long before my head slumped and pure darkness took over my line of sight. My breathing slowed and the only thing I had left to say, or think, was, _'Stupid Kiyoia.'_


	5. Kiyoia's Day Off

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DMC4 or its characters. The only characters I own are Datenshi and Seika while Kiyoia and Yukio, along with any other OC characters, belong to SesshomaruLover23 (also known as Jamie) who I am doing this fanfic with. Also, the name Sleeping Forest, along with the little motto that comes along with it, came from the anime/manga: _Air Gear_.

* * *

Kiyoia's POV

4. Kiyoia's "Day Off"

As I ran away from my sister, I laughed hard. I heard her shouting after me, but I paid no mind and continued off. Once I was far away from her, I slowed my running to a walk. I tried to decide what to do, since I was obviously taking a break from our patrolling. I mean, whatever demons that were around, I was sure they were where Datenshi was. As I walked on, I contemplated what to do. Couldn't go back to the house; Yukio and Seika would make me go back to patrolling. Couldn't go back to Datenshi just yet; she'd kill me.

_'Hmm…'_ I wondered. _'I could really go for a strawberry sundae right now…and I'm sure Kimiko-chan would be happy if I went to see her. I could also go daydream under that huge tree up on the hill at the edge of town. K, I'll do all that!'_ I finally decided and headed toward a small ice-cream shop nearby me. I stepped inside and walked to the counter.

"Hello," the girl behind it said with a smile. A boy walked up to her, spoke softly, and she nodded and walked away. The boy smiled and turned to me.

"Sorry, it's her break-time, but I can take your order. What would you like?" he asked, eyeing my outfit. I sighed, realizing that it did look strange, but soon answered him.

"A strawberry sundae, please?" I asked. He nodded and turned to get it for me. I leaned against the counter and stuffed my hands in my pockets. Soon enough, the boy turned back and handed me the sundae. I reached in my pocket to get money, and gave it to him. I sat in a chair and quickly, but happily finished off the sundae. I handed him the glass it was in and walked out, saying good bye. I ran to Kimiko's house and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" I heard her call to the door and heard rustling inside.

"Its Kiyoia, duh!" I said with a smile, giggling slightly. She opened the door. Her hair was a mess, she was in pajamas…I laughed and she scowled.

"Shut up, Kiyoia…" she said. I smirked.

"Sleep in, Kimiko-chan?" I asked. She nodded and yawned. I smiled.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, yawning again. Just then, Hiroshi walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her. I smirked.

"Well, Datenshi and I were uh, out, and she ran into this guy she likes so I ran off to give her some time alone. I decided, why not visit my good friend and her dear boyfriend?" I explained.

Kimiko smiled. "Awe, that's so sweet!" she said, and she reached forward and hugged me. I smiled as well and hugged back. Soon, she let go and stood back near Hiroshi. I noticed Hiroshi giving me a strange look, but paid no mind. That wasn't too important. I had always known Hiroshi was uncomfortable around Datenshi and me. Never knew why, though…

"Um, anyway…" I went on, "What's up? Anything planned for tonight?"

"Actually, yes! Hiroshi is taking me out to dinner tonight, and we're spending the day together. It's our 6 month anniversary, after all!" Kimiko explained. I felt a stab of pain in my heart for some reason. Maybe because I wanted to have a six month anniversary with someone, or it was because I had wanted to spend time with my best friend. Either one, it annoyed me. I faked a smile to Kimiko.

"That's great, Kimiko-chan. Well, I have to go. I have to, um, get back to Datenshi before she gets so pissed off she's willing to kill me," I said. Kimiko looked concerned.

"You sound sad or something. Everything alright?" she asked. I smiled again.

"Kimiko, I'm fine. It's just I'm a little jealous of you because I want a boyfriend, and you have one. But don't worry;" I said with a slight laugh, "I'm not going to steal yours!" I said, beginning to laugh. Kimiko laughed too, but Hiroshi kind of glared at me. I looked at him confusedly, and said goodbye for Kimiko.

"Call me tonight, ok? Around 11:00?" she asked.

"Sorry, have to go to bed early tonight, but I can call you around 9:00. But I also don't want to disturb you two and your lovey-dovey anniversary stuff," I explained. Kimiko frowned a little.

"Fine, then tomorrow night then!" she exclaimed. "And I'm not taking no for an answer to that! Call me at 8:00 tomorrow night! Ok?" She asked, giving me a certain look saying 'You'd better!' I smiled.

"Fine, Kimiko-chan. I'll call you then, but I have to go now before Datenshi has my head," I said. Kimiko giggled a little.

"Fine then," she mumbled a little and smiled again. She reached forward and hugged me again. I hugged back until she let go, and turned to leave. As I was a little away, I turned, smiled and waved to them. They, make that Kimiko, waved back. I stared at Hiroshi a second for not waving, but soon shrugged it off and began toward that tree on that hill on the far side of town.

I reached the hill and climbed it. I stood, leaning against the tree and soon slid down it into the nice soft grass. I got away from the tree and stretched out in the grass. I began to think, while watching clouds pass by.

_'So boring. Wonder how Tenshi is doing with her guy. Wonder what his name is, too. Speaking of guys, I wonder what Dante is doing right now,'_ I sighed happily as I thought of him. _'Dante...'_ I smiled. _'So handsome, my Dante. I hope one day I can…wait, what's wrong with me!? Hmm... I could call him, see what he's doing,'_ I jammed my hand into my pocket and pulled out the paper with his number on it. I then took out my cell phone, and began to dial the number.

"Hello?" I heard his voice. My heart stopped for a second, and I didn't answer for a few seconds. He spoke again. "Hello, who is this?" he asked. I mentally slapped myself and spoke, realizing my voice shook for some reason.

"H-hey, Dante. This is Kiyoia from last n-night," I said. He laughed and obviously noticed my shaking voice.

"No need to be scared to talk to me, Kiyoia. And yes, I remember you. So, how's the day after your birthday going?" he asked. I sighed softly and smiled.

"Fine, but boring. Datenshi; you know, my sister? Yeah, we went out and I ditched her because she ran into some guy she likes. So now, I'm sitting here, bored, nothing to do. After I left her, I got a strawberry sundae and went to see my friend Kimiko," I explained. Dante's voice held a smirk as he laughed softly.

"You know, strawberry sundaes are my favorite," he said. I smiled.

"Mine too! Isn't that strange?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Dante said, and his voice held a smile this time. The conversation died for a minute, and then I spoke up.

"So, Dante, what are _you_ doing?" I asked. Dante sighed.

"Just sitting around. Eating pizza. Just took a shower, so you're lucky I was out when you called," he said. I smirked at thinking of what he said, being in the shower and all, but then mentally slapped myself again for thinking those thoughts when I only just met him.

"Yes, I guess I am," I said.

"Well, I have to go…I'm going somewhere in a little bit. Maybe I'll call you again later, now that I know your number," he said. My mind stopped for a second, and I asked in my head how he knew my number. Then I slapped myself again, and said to myself_, 'He has caller ID, genius!'_

"Awe…but fine. You promise, right?" I asked. Dante's voice held a smile again.

"Most definitely, dear Kiyoia-chan," he said. I smiled big as he spoke. "Ok, bye then. Call you later," he said.

"Bye, Dante..." I said. We both hung up, and I lay my head back in the grass, smiling as I thought of the handsome man I just spoke to and what he called me. Suddenly, I felt strange vibes, as if someone was being hurt. I realized with a jolt that it was my sister, Datenshi, in trouble! I jumped up, and began to run to where I'd left her with that guy. I hopped on rooftops and ran as quickly as I could.

I arrived in time to see Datenshi black out. I jumped down to where she was pinned against the wall by the guy and my fury kicked in. I tapped the guy on the shoulder and he turned to me. I punched him so hard I could hear his jaw move with my fist. I didn't break it. I just sprained it. He fell to the ground and Datenshi slid down the wall, still knocked out. I walked over to the guy, stepped hard on his stomach, and leaned forward slightly so my face was closer to his. He glared up at me, his hand on his jaw. I smirked and then frowned again, angry once more. As I spoke, my voice held a slight growl.

"Want to tell me what you're doing, picking on a girl like that?" I asked.

"She and her cocky attitude started it. Don't blame me…" he said. I narrowed my eyes at him, and took my foot off of him. He smirked and began to get up, but I turned back to him, kicked him in the face as he sat up, and then punched him again. He was on the verge of slipping into unconsciousness. I smirked and turned to my sister. I picked up her arm and put it around my shoulders. I helped pick her up slightly, and began to take her home.

I kicked open the door and Yukio looked up as I did. When he saw the unconscious Datenshi being carried by me, he jumped up and took her from me. He carried her to the couch and set her on it, calling for Seika. She appeared with a magazine in her hand from the hallway and dropped it when she saw her best friend since our birth. She ran to her and Yukio walked over to me. He hugged me slightly, asking what happened. I explained what I knew, as he held me in a hug. Seika rushed around, getting things to wake Tenshi up. Soon, Datenshi came to. I ran over to her when she did, and she looked around in confusion and pain for a second. She looked up at me and suddenly glared.

"Why'd you leave me like that!?" she screamed as loud as she could without hurting herself. I looked at her, a little hurt from it, but soon broke from that.

"Hey, you're in love with the guy. I thought you'd want some time alone with him! Can't blame me, Tenshi!" I said. She looked away with slight anger. Seika asked if she wanted any food or a drink. As Datenshi answered, I walked up the stairs to my room. Yukio began to follow me, but thought better, and stayed with Datenshi and Seika.

I walked into my room and undressed. I wrapped myself up in a robe and went to take a bath to relax myself. As I relaxed under the warm water and my muscles relaxed as well, I thought. I thought of my sister, I thought of the guy who'd hurt her, I thought of Yukio and Seika downstairs, worrying about both Datenshi and me, and I thought of Kimiko and her happy day with Hiroshi. I thought of that strawberry sundae I had, and my conversation with Dante, and my birthday yesterday. But for everything I thought of, my thoughts kept drifting to Dante. Soon, I forgot about the rest, smiled and sighed softly, thinking of that handsome silver-haired, blue-eyed, non-human man that I grew to love in just a day.


	6. Starry, Starry Night

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DMC4 or its characters. The only characters I own are Datenshi and Seika. While Kiyoia and Yukio, along with any other OC characters, belong to SesshomaruLover23 (also known as Jamie) who I am doing this fanfic with. Also, the name Sleeping Forest, along with the little motto that comes along with it, came from the anime/manga: _Air Gear_.

* * *

Datenshi's POV

5. Starry, Starry Night

Morning came quite quickly for me the next day after the whole Nero incident, and although I still resented him quite a bit for knocking me out yesterday, I got to hand it to him. He really is better than I thought…I still don't like him for doing it though.

Sighing, I stared up at the ceiling for another couple minutes, and then finally decided it was time to get up and get ready for another _wonderful_ day of patrolling the city. Damn, I sound like some kind of cop.

After another thirty minutes or so doing my morning routine, I ultimately found myself downstairs with Kiyoia eating breakfast. We didn't say anything else the whole time, the tension still slightly there after our outbursts when Kiyoia brought me home.

Still, I finished my meal quickly and went to go put it in the sink before starting on my way out the door, knowing that either Yukio or Seika would take care of it later. Mostly likely Yukio though since Seika would just flip him off and tell him to go to Hell. Yup, that's just the marvelous kind chemistry you get when you put a wolf demon, a race close to that of a dog demon, and a cat demon together. It's just one of those classic cat verses dog, er, wolf thing.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kiyoia asked just as I got to the door.

"Patrolling," I told her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, it actually kinda was.

"Without me?" She said as I heard her footsteps come near while I put my hand on the door handle.

"If we split up, we'll be able to cover more ground," I told her quietly.

Kiyoia sighed as I saw her lean on the wall near the doorway, "Which is just another way for you to say that I want to be alone and still ticked off at you for yesterday."

I shook my head as I opened the door, but was stopped when her palm kept it closed.

"Look, I'm not saying I'm sorry for what I did, because I'm not. Just that you hurry up and build a bridge and get over it," she declared.

"I'm not mad at you. I got over it after you went to take your bath yesterday," I said as I finally turned my head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Apathy and I are best friends, remember?"

"Oh," she whispered, looking a little putout, then a slightly pissed-off looking expression quickly paving it's way across her face. "Then why do you look so depressed and emo?"

"It's morning, remember? I'm always emo in the morning," I bluntly told her, then smirked, "and you call yourself my twin sister."

She only rolled her eyes at that one and went back to leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…so…what's his name?" she asked as she mirrored my smirk. I assumed she meant Nero, and that's exactly what I told her. "Nero, huh?" she repeated. "Not bad…still not as cool as Dante though." I smiled and shook my head once again as she grinned back at me and finally made my way outside and up to the rooftops.

I let the soft breeze of the morning filter through my hair as I jumped from one roof to another, making my way across Fortuna to the north where a large forest lay. I was just about a mile within the vicinity before I felt the wind suddenly push past me and a huge demonic aura abruptly pulsed not too far ahead of me. My eyes widened and I stopped as the buildings ended and I settled down on the forest floor. This aura was immense, which either meant a very strong demon…or a horde of them. Then again, I was putting my money on the strong demon theory, only a powerful demon could have erected a barrier of this caliber.

The barrier was huge, stretching for more than just a couple miles in diameter from what I could tell. Not only that, I never would have sensed any of the demonic aura originating from within if I hadn't passed through it. It was only on luck that I had decided to check out the forest today. But what really got me going, was that once you get in, you can't get out. This fact proven when I tried to pass back through it to alert my sister or any of the others that were nearby. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go this alone.

I sighed as I started walking towards the large path that led into the forest, but then rethought it and jumped up into the thick branches._ 'At least this way I might have some element of surprise, right?'_ I thought as I jumped from one big branch to another.

Not long after I stopped on a sturdy looking branch and looked down into what seemed like the epicenter of this barrier. Sounds of battle and creatures screeching in pain and war cries reverberated throughout the large clearing. What I saw didn't mislead to what I heard, and I silently wondered if I could have taken back what I had listened to.

Hundreds of demons occupied the area, more still coming in through the trees from every possible angle. My eyes widened as I took it all in. With this many demons, you'd have more than enough to lay siege on a city. Hell, you could probably even take over a country if you consider the demons' physical aspects. It'd be like total domination…

I glared down onto the demons as I thought of a quick strategy on how to counter them all, but all thoughts were all at once discarded when I heard a familiar battle cry. Blinking, I quickly shifted my gaze to the very middle of the pandemonium. Flashes of red, blue, and silver crossed my vision beneath all the large and shadowy fiends that crowded the large field.

'Nero…'

'_Well there goes my game plan,'_ I thought as I watched him clash against more than five demons at once, swiftly dispatching them before moving on to the next group that took their place. They attacked from all sides, never relenting in their numbers. _'If I try to take them all out at once, I'd be endangering Nero, and despite being such an asshole he is, he's still on our side…right?'_

I bit my lip as I observed him. He didn't look too good. Although he went unscratched for now, I could see it in his eyes…and his stamina was weakening. He must've been here for quite a while for his energy to decrease to this level.

'_Do I help him?'_ I wondered. _'I mean, this bastard practically tried to kill me yesterday! Okay, I admit I got careless and underestimated him, but he freakin' tried to kill me! I can't just forgive something like that so easily…but then again, I did take out like all but one of his unit. But they were almost all demons! And…great…I'm arguing with myself,'_ I deadpanned, before shaking my head and putting on a determined face.

'Ok, this is no time to be picky about whether or not to help him. He didn't know about his unit being made up of mostly demons, and I didn't give him any forewarning before slaying them all,' I took a deep breath, 'All right! Let's rock!'

I smirked before bringing my sword into my right hand and then jumping into the fray. I promptly took out almost twenty demons alone with my sword as I combined it with my element over fire, sending out a powerful blast to burn them all to ashes. Slashing left and right, I tried to make my way over to Nero. If we were gonna get through this, I'd need him to cooperate with me.

"Nero!" I shouted over the shrill screams all around us. Nero looked a bit shocked to see me there before briskly covering it up with a glare.

"What are you doing here?" he yelled back, before slashing at a demon that tried to sneak up on him and then moving on to the next in line.

"Look! If we're going to have any hope of getting out of this alive, then I suggest we work together!" I told him as I took out five demons that tried to take me on from above.

"Sorry, but I work alone!" he replied as he killed another ten or fifteen.

I only glared back at him as I destroyed another five more. _'Stupid tough guys and their loner acts,'_ I growled inside my mind before quickly forming a water whip in my free hand and taking out any other demons within a five feet radius. Then abruptly taking Nero's arm and setting up a small light barrier around us, any demon coming into contact with it was immediately disintegrated.

I glared at him as he sent the same scowl back my way, his slightly heavy breathing much more distinct now that we didn't have to worry about the demons outside…for now.

"Look, you and I both know that if you go on like this against this army of demons you'll die of exhaustion," I said to him, my finger coming up to poke his chest to emphasize my point, my face only inches away from his. "You need me just as much as I need you. If we're going to get through this…_alive_, then I suggest you swallow your damn pride and just work with me here!"

Nero only glowered down at me more before scoffing and leaning back as he looked to the side. "Feh, fine, have it your way."

I smirked and straightened up as well and held up my hand, "Alright then, truce?"

Nero looked down onto my hand for a second and then, hesitatingly, shook my hand once with his own demonic one, a smirk soon plastering itself upon his face. "Just try to keep up."

"What's the matter Nero, can't keep up?" I told him as I took out a demon that was just about to jump on him from behind and taking his earlier comment and turning it around.

It has already been more than a couple hours in this wretched barrier, and already I could feel the signs of fatigue weighing down on me. I'm afraid Nero wasn't doing much better either. I sent out as many water, fire, and light dragons as I could, seeing as they could cause much more damage than my sword, massacring at least 50 with each dragon that emerged. Nero had even been reduced to using his devil bringer more often as well.

I sent out another dragon at another group of demons before abruptly feeling a presence behind me and instantly taking my sword and slashing it down upon the fiend that dared tried to sneak up on me.

"Uh, ew. I didn't need to see your brain, thanks," I said as I looked down at it. I had made a clear cut down from the very middle, the demon being split in two before disintegrating.

"Well, at least it's proof it has one," Nero told me as he shot at a demon that was just about to get me with his double-shooting gun.

"Hm, yeah, you're right. Not a big one, but a brain nonetheless," I mirrored his half smirk and grin as I got back to work.

'_There's no end to them!'_ I shouted inside my mind as I had slain yet another 50 of their ranks with a fire dragon, before swiftly moving on to creating another. Forming and generating them grew to an almost mundane routine, but I knew that this was one of the most effective ways.

'_I don't get it, though. How can all these demons just materialize from thin air to this one area? What's more is that all of them have been coming only after Nero and I, but why? Even with us two here, at least some of them would have slipped past the barrier by now and try to attack the city. And if any did, Kiyoia and the others would have come by to find out where they'll all originating from, or do they have their hands full as well? No, that's not it. All of these demons are focusing everything here on just the two of us. And if that's true, someone must be controlling them, sending them orders or some sort.'_

I stopped for a second before putting up another light barrier around me. _'But where? Who is controlling them and where!? Whoever it is has to be nearby!'_ I narrowed my eyes and then closed them to concentrate more. The demonic auras surrounding me were clumped together and although united they were strong, there had to be one place where one of the demonic auras was the most powerful.

"There!" I shouted before snapping my eyes open to right behind me. I caught a glimpse of something black and red blending into the mass of demons around me when it suddenly disappeared the second I blinked my eyes. I was just about to jump after it when I suddenly heard a painful yell. _'Nero!'_ I looked to my left and found Nero being impaled by one of the demon's swords.

"Shit," I whispered as the barrier around me came down and I ran towards Nero, taking down any demon that dared to get in my way. I was able to get there just as the demons were about to make the finishing blow and killed them with one swift move from my sword.

I immediately took Nero and laid him down on the ground as I set up a barrier around us, putting my hands on his wounds to help stop the bleeding, although it didn't really help much. Nero only stared up at me as I unzipped his red jacket, revealing the black shirt that laid underneath, quickly pushing that up to assess the deep wound that completely staked him through.

I considered him lucky he was only stabbed in the stomach and it had hit none of his vital organs; and from what I could see, he was already healing quite nicely thanks to his half-demon blood. The hole in his back was gone by now. Still, in his condition, it was taking longer than it should for it to heal.

I sighed slightly as I laid my hand atop his wound and whispered, "Heal." The effect was immediate as a bright, almost blinding, white light engulfed my hand and shown down on his injury. My hand almost looked like it was made of diamonds thanks to my white complexion as Nero's wound healed quickly, and within seconds, it was closed up without even a scar to prove it was ever there in the first place.

When I was done I then helped Nero up into a sitting position and made to fix his clothes back into their proper position before Nero intercepted my hands and fixed it up himself.

"Thanks," he told me just above a whisper as he looked away to the side. I only chuckled and he looked back to glare at me.

'_Haha, awe, how cute, he's shy,'_ I thought with a grin, but then instantly stopped. _'Wait…cute!?'_ I blushed slightly at the thought, but thanked God that my blushes were never very noticeable.

With that, I stood up as Nero did and looked to my barrier as more demons tried to break it down, only to be disintegrated in the process. The smarter ones, though, stayed put and watched and waited for me to finally put the barrier down. Heh, who knew, and here I thought that these demons could only hold the mental capacity for fighting, eating, and sleeping. You learn something new everyday, ne?

"We're never going to get anywhere just taking them all out just one by one," Nero said as he looked past the barrier. I nodded in agreement, but then smirked as an idea suddenly came to me.

"Hey! Where are you going!? You can't just go out there alone, I thought you said that we needed to work together, remember?" Nero shouted at me as I made to push past the barrier.

"When an enemy is being difficult, crush them altogether at once to wipe them out," I told him, grinning maniacally as I left the barrier, another smaller one encompassing me as I walked to the middle of the clearing.

"Datenshi!? Hey! Are you even listening to me!? Get back here!" Nero's faint shouts echoed to me while I walked. I could hear a dull pounding and I concluded that that was just Nero beating his fist against the inside of my barrier, which I had now made impossible for him to pass through.

_Things go your way now, but how long will it last? An eternity you ask? The phoenix damns the darkness of the monster's cell and the gods pity the fool that burns in the fires of Hell._

My grin son turned into a smirk as I considered I was a good distance away from Nero's little wonder ball. I raised my right hand up high before quickly bringing it down to slap against the cool grass.

"Phoenix Strike!" I shouted while I undid my light barrier around me.

A burst of flames abruptly spanned out from me to engulf me in its embrace before shooting up into the sky in a phoenix made entirely of red-hot flames. The phoenix roared as it stretched its wings outward, both beautiful and deadly. My smirk didn't falter as my summoned phoenix soared higher and higher before crashing down and incinerating any of my opposition, meaning any demon nearby was toast, literally.

I then smiled. Less than a minute later as the cries and smell of the dying creatures ceased and the fire extinguished to show a stunning field of green, flowers popping here and there in patches of various colors.

"You know, you would have a saved us both a lot of energy if you had just done that from the very beginning," Nero deadpanned as he came to stand next to me. I jumped a little, forgetting I had released him of him of his entrapment soon after my phoenix had gone.

"Uh, well…you see…" I stuttered nervously as I turned to him laughing slightly, "I didn't really think of it until now."

"You're an idiot, aren't you?" he deadpanned once again.

"Hey! Gimme a break here, for as observant as I can be, I can afford to be a little forgetful sometimes," I responded as Nero took a seat to lie down on the grass, me soon joining him afterwards to his right side. After all that was a long battle we just faced. As it was, the moon and stars were making their way across the darkening sky in a twilight haze.

"Besides, I was thinking of doing it long before this when I first came here, but then I spotted you, and you just happened to be placed so strategically in the fray of demons. Excuse me if I didn't want to fry that cocky ass of yours," I huffed. I waited for a retort, but when none came I looked towards Nero to find him simply staring up at the rising moon.

"Uh, you do know that this is the part where you make some kind of witty comeback, right?" I asked.

"I know."

"So?"

"I don't feel like it."

"You don't have a comeback?" I pouted, "I'm disappointed, Nero. You're supposed to be like one of my sarcastic equals or something."

"Heh, equal, huh? And what makes you think I'm you're equal? Or better yet, what makes you think you're mine?"

I blinked quietly as I digested the words. Why did insults have so much more bite to them when phrased so eloquently? Nonetheless, I quickly snapped out of it and smiled at down at him as I rolled over to lightly tap his head.

"Ah, there we go. I'm glad. Somewhere in that small brain of yours, Nero's not dead," I commented. My smile soon disappeared though as Nero caught my right hand with his left to stop me from lightly knocking his head. Time seemed to freeze right then and there as I stared into his electric blue eyes.

_His words will charm you, his voice will hypnotize, and one look will strike you with the intensity of his eyes._

Abruptly, I then realized what kind of position we were in, me almost lying on top of Nero with only my left hand keeping my upper body above his, and swiftly pushed away as if I had been burned.

I looked to the right, trying to hide my blush. I don't usually get anywhere near that close to the male gender unless they were demon and I was killing them. Yukio didn't count because…well…he's Yukio. Not to mention he's Kiyoia's demon familiar, not mine.

"Hey Nero, do you know what they about the stars?" I said as I finally recovered, desperate to end the long silence that had conspired. The sky was now fully blackened, or it would be if the moon and stars didn't shine so bright.

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me," he replied.

I rolled my eyes at his comment. Bastard, didn't that small encounter even faze him just even a little bit? Or was he simply following that tough guy act once again? What a confusing but typical man. I still smiled and answered anyways.

"They say your life is mapped out in the stars," I told him before standing up to stretch a little, reaching my hands out as if to grasp at the vast amount of twinkling lights above me.

"Hm, you mean something like destiny?"

"Uh-huh."

"Heh, why? Do you believe in that kind of stuff or something?"

I only shook my head and looked back down at Nero who looked right back.

"No, not at all, actually," I answered with a light smirk. "I think the idea of destiny is for the weak. Those who surrender to it, surrender their right to choose their own fate. My life will not be determined by a bunch of stars."

"Not a bad philosophy."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"Heh, well anyways, it's getting late. I should start heading back before the others start thinking I've been killed or something." I said as I took the first few steps to the edge of the clearing while Nero got up to follow alongside me.

"Yeah, I should get going too. Kyrie's probably worried about me by now."

"Kyrie?" I tried out, but then chuckled, "Your girlfriend or something?"

"What? No, she's my adoptive older sister."

"Ah, I see, but you love her anyways, don't you?" I said as I grinned over at him to my left. Nero only rolled his eyes before walking slightly faster, but I kept up with him.

"Are you deaf or something? I've already said she's just family," he huffed.

"Oh, I can hear you loud and clear Mr. Tough Guy, and trust me, it's not impossible for adoptive siblings to fall in love with each other."

I of course knew Nero was telling the truth, or at least what he believed to be the truth, but I was just having too much fun teasing him to stop. I'm a sadistic bitch and I know it, so don't think this is just some random occurrence. By the time we had gotten back to the city and split our separate ways, I had left an extremely annoyed Nero in my wake as I went home smiling the whole way.


End file.
